Having a well-brightened-up room is preferable for most of us. However, figuring out how to achieve this is challenging, especially with not-so-huge windows to allow enough natural light inside. Fortunately, there are several simple changes and clever decorating hacks that you can apply to transform any room. Here are some awesome tips on things to brighten up a room.
1. Well-Done Floors
The type of flooring you go with dictates how bright that room will be. Unlike in the past, you can achieve a more colorful room by applying several cost-friendly alternatives.
Hardwood floors have been dominant and the most preferred due to their great appearance and perfect finish. Hardwood flooring adds a natural look to a space, a plus in today’s interior decor. Additionally, it is available in a variety of colors and styles. Hardwood flooring is also long-lasting, with upto five refinishes. Hardwood flooring is also significant for value increase in case of a house re-sale.
To ensure that you get value for your money when purchasing hardwood flooring;
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- Choose engineered hardwood flooring.
- Go for a pre-finished hardwood.
- Choose your preferred type of finish.
- Select your pattern.
- Consider the wood types and choose the most durable one.
Laminate flooring combines a high-density fibreboard and a covering designed to look like wood or stone flooring. Recent technology has seen an upgrade in the quality of laminate flooring to a point where one can hardly tell the difference between them and hardwood flooring. This perfect finish is one of the things to brighten up a room.
Laminate flooring is cost-friendly. Its anti-scratching properties make it worth installing as it will leave your room looking brighter over a good period. When installing laminate flooring, do it professionally to avoid noisy and clunky sounds resulting from poor installation.
Vinyl flooring is a synthetic used to mimic wood, tile, or stone flooring. Vinyl floors are durable, low on maintenance, and affordable. Vinyl’s non-porous property makes it easier to wipe spills, leaving your room looking brighter without causing damage. They are also warm and non-slip, making them perfect for all rooms.
Ceramic tile flooring combines style and a modern look. It is also one of the most durable types of flooring. The different designs, finishes, sizes, textures, and colors that ceramic tiles offer are endless. Ceramic tiles brighten a room in ways other types of flooring installations can’t. It creates a sense of warmth and tidiness. Ceramic tiles are also resistant to scratches and moisture and are easy to clean.
Stone flooring offers more versatility than other types of flooring. They provide a perfect natural touch to the floors without compromising on durability. The stone flooring choices that are available today are endless. The stones available for this craft are marble, slate, sandstone, limestone, granite, and basalt.
Carpets are functional when it comes to the things that brighten up a room. It is one of the flooring options that has been around for decades, with its style still intact. A carpet is an essential floor covering element that makes a statement while imbuing comfort. It is not enough to have a carpet at hand; appropriate placement to blend in your space is important. The color and texture are also important things to brighten up a room.
But how often do you clean your carpets or rugs? Carpets and rugs should be vacuumed once or twice weekly, depending on whether you have kids or pets. Clean it with detergents and water twice a month. Use a carpet cleaning company twice yearly for a deep and thorough wash. The standard carpet cleaning price is between $123 to $250, depending on the carpet’s size and texture.
Door mats are also perfect flooring accessories that can add to your room’s brightness when strategically placed. Consider them an investment to get the most out of carpets and mats. They are excellent choices in giving you the exact look you crave for your room.
2. Opt for White Walls
Walls are important things to brighten up a room. They are excellent at transforming dull spaces. White walls cause light to bounce around your space, bouncing back onto other surfaces, giving the illusion of a less cluttered and larger space.
White walls also offer simplicity in a refined way. With white walls, you do not have to worry about color coordination with your decor, making it easier to achieve a brighter room because it offers the freedom to add different colored decor.
White is neutral and calm. Therefore, in cases where you want other elements in the room to stand out, white walls will not steal the show. They will complement the other elements, creating a perfect blend.
Additional Ways to Create Outstanding Walls
Paintings and wall hangings add an essential effect to your walls, modifying the room’s look and feel. Their significance is rising due to their ability to elevate the visual interest of any room. Wall hangings are a good way to add color to bare walls. Wall hangings also give a unique touch, giving texture to the walls. Additionally, they have a great finishing element that gives the room a complete look. Be very careful not to overdo them to avoid a cluttered effect
Oversized clocks are perfect for achieving a sophisticated, eye-catching wall decor. A simple design with minimal details will brighten the room just fine. Decorative wall clocks look stunning on all walls regardless of the room’s functions.
Lighting is one of the essential things to brighten a room is lighting. Modern-day wall lights have become decorative accessories in most homes for their ability to brighten up rooms creating ambiance. Placement is fully dependent on the look you want to achieve. The most common wall lights include gooseneck, double-arm wall sconces, and caged wall lights.
3. Choose proper Window Treatments
Adequate natural light is one of the things to brighten up a room. It brings out the beauty in any room. Your windows have to be clean to allow adequate light. Most people ignore this tip, causing them not to achieve as much light as they would want in their rooms. A room will stained windows limits light penetration. They also give rooms a dull look since they appear dirty. Cleaning your windows with the right glass cleaning detergents can increase the room’s brightness significantly.
Your windows might not be huge enough to let in much natural light, but your window treatments dictate the room’s brightness. The goal is to have as much natural light as possible in the room, making sheer panels one of the best things to brighten a room. Sheers are made of light and semi-transparent fabric hence enough penetration of light.
For nighttime’s sake, combine the sheers with light filtering curtains, which are heavier than the sheers. They, however, do not fully darken a room from outside space. If you need the light fully blocked, opt for blackout curtains lined with a heavy fabric to keep light out.
Your choice of drapery should also blend in with the colors on your walls to give the room a balanced and intentional finish. The lack of a perfect blend creates a style conflict, hindering the room from appearing brighter and more appealing.
4. Do a Furniture Revamp
The most important factor to consider when it comes to furniture is to ensure that it fits in that space. Oversized furniture makes the room feel smaller and cluttered. Overcrowding hinders light from lighting up every corner of that room, resulting in a dull and poorly lit room.
Consider brighter colors when selecting your furniture. They not only brighten up the room but also cause the room to appear spacious. Furniture reupholstery is also a perfect way to revamp by giving old furniture a new and fresh look.
Adding decor to your furniture is essential to achieving a brighter room. What other better way is there than to dress up your couch with a few decorative throw pillows? Throw pillows are a perfect way to compliment your couch or bed.
Throw pillows add a stylish and elegant look that reflects the entire room. A combination of different patterns while coordinating with the colors on the walls and couch gives a refreshing look to the room.
A stylish coffee table decor makes a huge statement in that room. Something as simple as placing a vase of flowers on it can brighten up the space significantly. Modern homes have adapted dummy books and stylish flower vases on elegant trays. Some are also using huge beads on a thick thread to accessorize. Go for any of these to achieve your desired look.
5. Install a Proper HVAC System
The HVAC system regulates rooms’ heat, ventilation, and air conditioning. This system adjusts accordingly to provide a cooler environment during hot seasons and a warmer environment during cold seasons. For any room to brighten up, its temperature has to be conducive.
Proper ventilation helps push stale air and other air pollutants out of the room, creating more space for fresher air. A stuffy room is a dull room, and no one wants to be in such a room. It is essential to do a proper air conditioning installation to avoid this. An ac installation ensures a constant fresh air flow, creating an ideal indoor environment.
Other Design Rules for Brightening Up a Room
Mirrors are a wonderful design feature to compliment your space. Mirrors make a room appear brighter, especially when strategically placed near light sources. Oversized wall mirrors best utilize every ray of light from their reflection. They also create the perfect illusion of space, making even the smallest room appear larger.
When decorating with mirrors, consider the glass type and the style of the frame. These simple yet significant factors can be a deal breaker if not well done. Mirrors can be integrated into all styles of furniture and walls, making them one of the best things to brighten up a room. Additionally, our imaginations are not limited since mirrors can be crafted into different sizes and shapes.
Indoor plants are one of the interior decor ideas that have gained popularity over the last few years, becoming one of the most essential things to brighten up a room. Initially, plants were meant for exterior decor, which is not the case today. Not only do indoor plants enhance the room’s appearance, but studies show that most of them eliminate air pollutants, freshening the air naturally.
If you have pets and kids, It’s good to consider indoor plants that wouldn’t cause harm if ingested. It is important to check on these plants from time to time in case of any pest infestations. If you have asthma, it is also important to alert and identify plant species that could aggravate your symptoms.
With advanced technology, you can now access synthetic plants similar to live plants. These are low maintenance because all they need is dusting and little adjustments from time to time. They are perfect for people who do not sit well with live plants but want to have a natural touch in their room.
What are the advantages of having a Brighter Room?
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- Brighter rooms help with mental and physical health improvement. Natural light has a way of boosting your health and mood. Additionally, it provides a sense of calmness.
- Brighter rooms also make spaces feel larger than they are.
- Brighter rooms create a welcoming and appealing feel, especially to guests.
- Brighter rooms are more desirable, increasing the resale value.
Summary
Brightening a room can only be achieved by combining different elements. It is not a walk in the park, but the results will blow your mind. People go for different floors, windows, plants, and mirror ideas depending on the look they want to achieve. Please do not limit your imagination to what society defines as a brighter room. Experiment until you achieve your desired look.